My name is Shawn Birss.
I am a follower of Jesus living simply with my spunky wife
and precocious twin toddlers in the heart of Edmonton, the frozen capital of
Alberta, Canada. I like punk rock and roots country. I am tattooed, branded,
and bespectacled. Social injustice and oppression move me. I believe the world
can be a better place, and intend to participate in seeing this become so.
Kate is hott. She's my first mate. |
I want to directly interrupt and frustrate the building of
the world's walls, actively steal the materials, and use them to participate in
constructing bridges.
I have organized and/or continue to participate with many
different social justice and solidarity groups, including the Occupy movement, Freeskools,
anarchist bookfairs and markets, prison abolitionists, Food not Bombs, The
Palestine Solidarity Network, Friends of the Lubicon and various environmental
actions.
My education and ministry experience began in the heart of
conservative Canadian evangelical culture. Though I remain evangelical (and
stubbornly refuse to be otherwise unless I should ever be kicked out), my
perspective on and practice of my faith has changed considerably in the last
fifteen years. I am grieved by the idolatry to greed and selfishness in the
North American church, and the hijacking of the gospel by capitalism and
nationalism, both of which have nothing to do with the Jesus I love.
My first book, Radical Religion, a book on the very
practical and social-justice motivated epistle of James, is the first of a
series that I hope to become a collection of notes on every book of the
Christian New Testament. Radical Pastor, a book on the early Christian church’s
egalitarian and just social structure, and Radical Freedom, on the personal and
social consequences of the gospel, will be the next books in this series, and
will be released soon by the Koinonia Media Collective.
I serve as a pastor in a small church of wretched scoundrels
and thieves, myself the worst of them. We represented punks and plumbers,
hipsters and anarchists, alcoholics and straightedge vegans, artists and
addicts, physicists and electricians, straight and otherwise, immigrants and
the disabled, charismatics and conservatives, now rescued from ourselves and
redeemed to true life by our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We are a crew of scallywags sailing through life together
under the flag of the cross, the slaughtered lamb our King. We are all equals
both in our skullduggery and our salvation. Our lives are forfeit to true
justice and peace. Our hope is for heaven on earth.
☠
FAQ
Kate and I hitchhike to Edmonton in 2008 |
Q.
Are you really a pirate?
A.
No.
Q.
Are you really a pastor?
A.
Yes.
Q.
Is there such a thing as a Pirate Pastor?
A.
Yes. My first pastor (that I remember) was a pirate. He illegally pirated American Christian television and broadcast it in Canada, also illegally, outside the jurisdiction of the CRTC, for good or ill.
Q.
Isn't being a pirate bad?
A.
Sure.
Q.
Why do you want to be identified with a pirate?
A.
I like pirates. And zombies. But I think I'm more like a pirate. Or an outlaw.
Q.
Is there anything at all about you that can justify calling yourself a pirate?
A.
I steal sermon material without permission. And I refer to my congregants as "me hearties".
My son makes me feel like Superman. |
Plus, everything I wrote in my bio is true, and kind of pirate-y.
Also, I have some really bad tattoos.
And a hook.
That last part was a lie.
No more questions, please.
My daughter and I in 2011 |
**This part of the page is under construction, people. Deal with it.**
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Shawn Birss on 100 Huntley Street. No kidding.
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I like the photo art ~ God is great!
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ReplyDeleteWhat I read here is nice.
Rabbit, Nepal